Organic electronic devices, such as for example organic thin film transistors, organic photovoltaic cells or organic light emitting devices, are substantially based on organic electronic materials, i.e. on materials being essentially carbon based. After intensive research efforts, both in academia and industry, a significant number of organic materials with desirable properties have been identified, ranging from small molecules to polymers.
However, for various reasons organic electronic devices are still mostly made with metal (or metal oxide) electrodes. One of the challenges in designing highly efficient organic electronic devices lies in matching the relative work functions of adjacent layers. While the properties of organic electronic materials can be adapted by changing their composition, for example by introducing substituents or by polymers comprising more than one monomer, such an adaptation is more difficult for metal (or metal oxide) electrodes. Additionally, other factors such as for example the adhesion between adjacent layers of an organic electronic device may also have an effect on the overall performance of such an organic electronic device.
In order to change the work function of metal (or metal oxide) electrodes, particularly of gold electrodes, and thus render them more easily compatible with organic electronic materials the metal (or metal oxide) electrodes may be covered with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of suitable molecules. For example, Boudinet et al. disclose in Organic Electronics 11 (2010) 227-237 the modification of gold source and drain electrodes with the following thiol compounds.

Self-assembled monolayers with stilbene-derivatives on gold have for example been disclosed by M. Malicki et al. in Langmuir 2009, 25(14), 7967-7975.
There is, however, still a need for further compounds that are suitable for such self-assembled monolayers.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide compounds that are suitable for such self-assembled monolayers. Preferably such compounds would also allow modifying the work function of metal or metal oxide electrodes of organic electronic devices. Other objects of the present invention will become evident from the following description and examples.